Hamilton Southeastern Schools board of trustees will vote Wednesday on a rewritten fee schedule for renting school gyms, fields, pools and auditoriums — a change that would raise most rates for the first time in years while creating a discount tier for Fishers-based youth organizations.

The current schedule charges every renter the same price. The proposed version splits users into three tiers: Fishers-based youth organizations, Fishers-based organizations, and non-Fishers-based groups. In most cases, out-of-town renters would pay roughly double what a local youth club pays.

The steepest increases land on practice space. High school practice fields, now $32 an hour for everyone, would go to $75 for local youth groups, $95 for other Fishers organizations and $110 for outside groups. Elementary practice fields double from $13 to $26 at the lowest tier. Elementary gyms jump from $58 an hour to $100, $125 or $150 depending on the renter.

A few rates move very little. The high school auditorium — already the most expensive space in the district at $441 an hour — rises to just $450 for local renters, though non-Fishers groups would pay $675. Tennis courts stay at $8 per hour per court for Fishers youth groups. And the high school football stadium would actually get cheaper for those groups, dropping from $278 an hour to $225.

The schedule also adds something the current one lacks: flat weekend day rates for Saturday–Sunday tournament use. Renting the football stadium for a full weekend day would cost a Fishers youth organization $1,125, compared with $1,700 for an outside group. Similar day rates appear for the soccer stadium, baseball and softball fields, the junior high stadium and tennis courts.

The proposal arrives during a difficult budget stretch for the district. In June, the board approved a separate package of family-facing fees for 2026-27 — reinstating consumable material fees, adding athletic participation fees and raising preschool tuition — on a 5-1 vote. Trustees also advanced a referendum resolution the same month.

Facility rentals are a comparatively small revenue line, but the tiered structure signals a policy choice as much as a financial one: local kids’ programs get the district’s best price, and everyone else subsidizes them.

The full proposed rate schedule appears below.

The following message was sent by the Hamilton County Highway Department Friday afternoon:

Please be advised, beginning on Friday, August 7th, drivers should expect daily lane restrictions on Cumberland Road, south of 116^th Street, for bridge preservation work. The expected completion date for this project is Friday, August 21, 2026.

Please use extreme caution while driving through the construction zone. Drivers are encouraged to be vigilant and watch for flaggers in the area.

Fishers Arts Council is expanding its leadership and exhibition space in 2026, adding two board members and opening galleries in partnership with Build BW and the Ball State Fishers Center.

New board members Fabi Gonzalez and Esperanza Alonzo bring experience in business, law and the arts.

Gonzalez is a business owner, architect and concrete contractor with more than 15 years of commercial and residential construction experience. Alonzo, a Mexico native who has lived in Indiana for more than 20 years, practices family law, criminal defense and workers’ compensation. She also founded the Hispanic Cultural Hub and creates sequin artwork and jewelry.

At its January annual meeting, the council elected Chris Hayes as president, Erica Foreman as vice president, Amanda Wilhite as treasurer and Ross Hilleary as secretary.

Returning board members are Susan Dickey, Greg Dierfeldt, Tyna Green Seall, Olivia Harris, Molly Hammer and Latrica Schooley. Pat Grabill was named board emeritus, while Les Reinhardt will continue as executive director.

The council also partnered with Build BW to establish a gallery in the first-floor lobby at 11 Municipal Drive. Open seven days a week, the gallery is currently exhibiting work by Fishers Arts Council artist member Casey Williams of McCordsville.

Reinhardt said the partnership provided a new home for the council’s Hub Gallery after the Hamilton County Community Foundation decided to sell its building.

“Having an accessible space is important to us, not only for artists, but also for the public,” Reinhardt said. “Being able to come after work or on the weekends to see an art gallery isn’t always an option, but the Build BW Gallery makes that possible.”

A third council exhibition space, Ball State Gallery-Fishers, is opening this month at 8626 E. 116th St., Suite 300. The gallery is accessible from the Switch Patio by elevator.

Its first exhibition, “Summer Shine,” will feature floral themes, bright colors and work from artists who are new to the council.

Both galleries will participate in the Second Friday Gallery Hop from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 14, along with the Art Gallery at City Hall and other Nickel Plate District galleries. Seven galleries will take part during at least a portion of the event.

Four Day Ray is sponsoring the hop and will offer a free dessert with a dinner purchase to participants who complete the hop and dine at the restaurant between Aug. 14 and 16.

Gallery locations, hours and event cards are available at FishersArtsCouncil.org/galleryhop.

On the August 7, 2026 edition of the Fridays With Larry podcast, Larry asks whether America has too many lawyers—or whether its attorneys are simply concentrated in the wrong places. He examines rising law school applications, the effect of artificial intelligence on the legal profession and the rural “legal deserts” where residents may struggle to find an attorney.

Larry also talks with Fishers High School graduate Emersen Kolb about her experience in the prestigious Trial by Combat mock-trial tournament. Now preparing to attend the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Kolb discusses courtroom storytelling, the programs that inspired her career path and her goal of becoming a public defender. The episode ends with the lighter story of an Arizona driver whose unusual excuse for traveling 112 mph did not keep him out of trouble.

Fridays With Larry is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen to or watch the podcast using this link for video, this link for audio, or the links below.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools is preparing to sell roughly 16 acres of district-owned land at 136th Street and Prairie Baptist Road, with an auction possible as soon as September, officials told the school board’s Finance and Facilities Committee on Thursday.

The property, currently leased out and being farmed, is left over from a larger parcel the district once owned at the intersection. A portion of that original tract was used in a partnership with the City of Fishers to build a fire station, leaving the roughly 16 acres now on the table.

District officials said the remaining ground is not a realistic site for a future school building — too small, and in the wrong spot, to support one.

Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told the committee the district is working through the legal steps required before a public school corporation can dispose of real estate. The first appraisal of the property is expected in mid-August, with a secondary review of that appraisal following shortly after.

Once the appraisal work is complete, Brown said he anticipates bringing a full resolution to the board, with the goal of engaging an auctioneer in September.

The sale would come with no strings attached on how the land is used. The district does not plan to attach contingencies restricting the buyer, Brown said, and any zoning questions or land-use approvals would be handled by the City of Fishers rather than the school district.

The school board will weigh in twice. Members will vote to authorize the sale before the property goes to auction, then vote again to approve the final sale once the auction is complete.

No estimated value for the property was discussed at the committee meeting.

In other items before the committee Thursday morning:

–A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for August 20th for the Fishers Elementary School renovation.

–At HSE High School, Royalty Drive is open but construction continues in the parking lot area.  Brown anticipates the new parking area will be open and ready for use following fall break.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools will recommend a lower HSE referendum tax rate for 2027 than officials projected earlier this year, after Hamilton County government delivered better-than-expected assessed valuation numbers this week.

The assessed value of property inside district boundaries “came in quite a bit higher than we were projecting,” HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told the school board’s Finance & Facilities Committee Thursday morning.

That matters because a referendum rate is applied against total net assessed value. When the base is larger, a lower rate raises the same number of dollars. Administrators had been planning around a rate of 22.75 cents per $100 of assessed value in 2027 — the figure Brown has used in public presentations since spring — using the county data available at the time.

Brown did not tell the committee what the new 2027 recommendation will be, only that it will land below 22.75 cents.

An informational presentation on the revised recommendation is scheduled for Wednesday night’s board meeting. No vote is expected then.

What voters will decide November 3

Voters will decide November 3 whether to replace HSE’s current operating referendum, approved in 2023 with 70% support. State law requires the ballot question to show the maximum possible impact, so voters will see a rate of up to 36 cents per $100 of assessed value over eight years. District officials have consistently said they do not expect to levy the maximum in any year.

The rate is not locked in by the ballot. If the referendum passes, the school board votes each year on the referendum tax rate as part of the budget process — which is exactly the mechanism producing this week’s downward revision.

The district is asking again three years into an eight-year measure because of Senate Enrolled Act 1, the 2025 property tax overhaul signed by Gov. Mike Braun. Larger homestead deductions shrink the assessed value a rate is applied against, and consultants project HSE will collect roughly $45.3 million less than expected between 2026 and 2031. The same law limits referendum questions to general election ballots in even-numbered years, meaning HSE’s next opportunity after this fall would not come until November 2028.

HSE is far from alone. School finance experts estimate 40 to 50 Indiana districts will put referendum questions on this fall’s ballot, including Carmel, Noblesville, Westfield and Zionsville.

The revised number arrives as Brown and Superintendent Dr. Matt Kegley prepare a series of speaking engagements across the community to explain the referendum question to voters — appearances that will now carry a smaller first-year number than the one presented this spring.

Three members of the Hamilton County law enforcement community were recognized Tuesday for their work in patrol, investigations and community engagement.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office presented its annual Officer of the Year Awards to Westfield Patrol Officer Ezekiel McCarthy, Carmel Detective Michael Morley, and Noblesville police K-9 Luna and her handler, Sgt. Ben Lugar.

“We are incredibly fortunate to serve alongside some of the finest law enforcement professionals anywhere,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joshua Kocher said. “This year’s honorees not only stand apart from everyone else, but they exemplify the dedication, courage, and compassion that define our law enforcement partners every day.”

McCarthy was named Patrol Officer of the Year for what the prosecutor’s office described as extraordinary courage, decisive action and a steadfast commitment to public safety. Officials said his professionalism, selflessness and ability to remain calm under pressure reflect the highest ideals of law enforcement.

Morley received the Detective of the Year award for his work investigating complex financial crimes and offenses targeting vulnerable adults.

As an FBI task force officer and member of Hamilton County’s Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team, Morley uses his financial expertise to investigate cases, hold offenders accountable and pursue the recovery of stolen money for victims. The prosecutor’s office credited his persistence and thorough investigative work with helping restore justice for vulnerable residents.

The K-9 of the Year award went to Luna and Lugar for their service with NobleACT, a partnership involving police, fire and mental health professionals.

The program connects people experiencing a crisis with community resources and seeks to divert them from the criminal justice system when appropriate. Luna provides emotional support and therapeutic comfort during crisis responses. She also serves as a familiar and reassuring presence at community events.

A new internal poll released Wednesday by Democrat J.D. Ford’s congressional campaign portrays Indiana’s 5th District as a dead heat, a striking claim in a district that has been reliably Republican since it was redrawn after the 2020 census — and one that comes just a day after national Democrats formally added the race to their target list.

The survey, conducted July 16-20 by Impact Research, a Democratic polling firm working for the Ford campaign, shows incumbent Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz leading Ford, a state senator from Indianapolis, 48 percent to 46 percent — within the poll’s margin of error.

The poll paints a difficult picture for the three-term congresswoman. According to the campaign’s summary, 51 percent of district voters view Spartz unfavorably, against 34 percent favorable. A majority, 53 percent, see her as “part of the problem in Washington,” and 49 percent consider her ineffective. The survey also found President Trump, who carried the district by 17 points in 2024, now viewed unfavorably by 51 percent of its voters.

“Hoosiers in the 5th district want a leader who will make life more affordable for us,” Ford said in a statement accompanying the release. “For six years, Victoria Spartz has used her position in Congress to rig the rules to benefit herself and her big corporate donors while our friends and neighbors struggle to make ends meet.”

The Spartz campaign did not issue an immediate response.

Internal campaign polls deserve caution. They are typically released only when favorable to the campaign paying for them, and their assumptions about who will turn out in November cannot be independently verified. Even this poll’s own numbers show Republicans holding a five-point advantage on the generic ballot, 45 percent to 40 percent. The poll’s most optimistic finding for Ford — a six-point lead — emerges only after respondents heard positive information about both candidates, a common technique that tends to overstate a challenger’s ceiling.

The district’s recent history also argues for skepticism. Since redistricting made it safer Republican territory in 2021, no Democrat has come close. Spartz won reelection in 2024 with 56.6 percent of the vote, an 18-point margin, and the major election forecasters rated the seat safely Republican throughout that cycle.

Still, there are signs this race is drawing attention it hasn’t seen before. On Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the 5th District to its “Districts in Play” list — one of 12 Republican-held seats, nearly all carried comfortably by Trump in 2024, that the House Democrats’ campaign arm is targeting in November. The designation typically signals that national money and organizational support will follow, and it puts Spartz in the company of higher-profile Republican targets such as Colorado’s Lauren Boebert.

Ford, the first openly gay member of the Indiana General Assembly, has served two terms in the state Senate. His campaign reported raising more than $365,000 in the second quarter and has argued Spartz’s war chest is comparatively thin. Spartz, first elected in 2020, survived a crowded and expensive Republican primary in 2024 after briefly announcing she would not seek reelection.

Whether the 5th District — anchored in Hamilton County’s fast-growing suburbs — is truly in play won’t be clear until independent polling and spending decisions confirm what the Ford campaign’s numbers suggest. Midterm cycles have historically favored the party out of the White House, and Democrats are betting that suburban districts like this one are where any wave would break first. Republicans, for now, can point to two decades of results that say otherwise.

The general election is Nov. 3.

The Fishers Advisory Plan Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to send a proposal allowing accessory dwelling units in part of the Nickel Plate District to the City Council without a recommendation.

The commission’s decision does not stop the proposal. As an advisory body, it may forward zoning matters to the council with a favorable recommendation, an unfavorable recommendation or no recommendation. The City Council has final authority and is expected to consider the amendment Aug. 17.

Accessory dwelling units, sometimes called “granny flats” or “in-law suites,” are independent living spaces located on the same property as a single-family home. They may be built as detached structures, placed above garages or incorporated into existing homes.

The proposed amendment would permit the units in the Village Center zoning district. Because much of that district already consists of apartments and townhomes, city officials say the practical effect would be concentrated in the South Village area, generally south of Morgan Drive and along Meadows Drive and Lantern Road.

Under the proposed standards, an accessory dwelling unit could contain no more than 800 square feet, and only one would be permitted on a residential lot. The property owner would be required to live in either the primary residence or the accessory unit.

Each unit also would need a separate address or unit number and a paved route to a driveway or alley. Detached units could be up to 25 feet tall, while units constructed over garages could reach 42 feet. They would be required to follow the Nickel Plate District’s architectural standards.

The amendment would not require additional off-street parking beyond what is already required for the primary residence.

City planning staff recommended approval of the amendment. One written public comment opposing the proposal had been received when the staff report was prepared. The city also conducted a virtual town hall June 22 after mailing notices to property owners in the Village Center district.

Buckhaven development advances

In other business, the commission unanimously recommended approval of the proposed Buckhaven residential development on 131st Street, just west of Interstate 69.

Pulte Homes is seeking to rezone 11.54 acres at 11798 and 11842 E. 131st St. from R2 residential zoning to a residential planned unit development. The proposal calls for 23 for-sale, single-family homes, a density of about two homes per acre.

The preliminary plan shows a single street ending in a cul-de-sac, along with two stub streets intended to provide future connections. The developer also would be required to construct acceleration and deceleration lanes along 131st Street, a 10-foot-wide path, neighborhood sidewalks and an outdoor gathering area.

Plans include a pond for stormwater treatment, a landscaped buffer and homes with side-loading garages. Buyers would have the option of adding a third garage bay. Final home designs would be subject to approval by the city’s PUD Committee.

No written public comments had been received when the staff report was completed. Pulte held a neighborhood meeting June 11, where nearby residents asked questions about the development and its proposed stub streets.

The Buckhaven rezoning also is expected to go before the Fishers City Council on Aug. 17 for final consideration.

Citizens State Bank has eliminated the drive-through from its proposed new branch on East 116th Street and substantially reworked the building’s design—changes that helped the project win a unanimous favorable recommendation Wednesday from the Fishers Advisory Plan Commission.

The branch is proposed for a 0.83-acre site at 13562 E. 116th St., just west of Olio Road. The commission’s action is a recommendation, not final approval. The rezoning now returns to the Fishers City Council.

The changes followed continued discussions with nearby residents, particularly those in the 114th Street area, after the bank presented its original proposal to the council at a July 20 first reading. Several council members questioned whether a drive-through banking operation was appropriate for the site.

The revised concept removes the drive-through and depicts a low-profile, residential-scale building with pitched roofs, light-colored masonry, wood accents and extensive landscaping. The proposed planned unit development, or PUD, would limit the building to a 4,500-square-foot footprint and a height of 24 feet. It also would allow no more than 27 parking spaces and require the property to remain a single-tenant, owner-occupied development.

Four nearby residents spoke during the Plan Commission’s public hearing. Much of their concern centered on traffic in an already congested area, particularly the effect of vehicles making left turns. Residents also raised questions about the bank’s proposed signage.

The draft PUD would limit the property to one freestanding ground or monument sign. Building signs on the south and east facades would be limited to 10 square feet, with lettering no taller than 12 inches. Parking-lot lighting would be kept to the minimum required by city standards and dimmed overnight.

The Fishers Engineering Department reviewed the proposed branch and its full-access driveway on 116th Street. In an Aug. 3 memorandum, Engineering Director Hatem Mekky said the bank is not expected to have a negative effect on traffic along the corridor.

“There is no concern on the approach intersection with 116th Street,” the memorandum stated.

The department said it would continue monitoring access points along 116th Street and could revisit access to the property if problems develop. A different business operating at the site in the future would require another engineering review.

The property is currently governed by the Drive Planning PUD, approved by the City Council on a 9-0 vote in January 2024 for a single-tenant office development. Before that rezoning, the property was classified R2 residential. The city’s Fishers 2040 comprehensive plan continues to identify the surrounding area as suburban residential.

The commission’s favorable recommendation carried one additional request: Council members should discuss how changes to the PUD would impact their final vote.

The City Council is scheduled to consider the rezoning at its 7 p.m. meeting Monday, Aug. 17, in the Fishers Municipal Center Theater.

Disclosure: Citizens State Bank sponsors the LarryInFishers podcast series.